December 2015 DIVA Blog Hop--Punches

I would say that it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas outside, BUT it's December 15th in Minnesota with lots of rain, and only an occasional white flurry!!  And to be honest, I'm good with that!!!  I'm sure we'll see a foot (and then some) of the white stuff before too long, and I can be patient and wait for it!  But hopefully my card today will help you get in the mood for the season, if nothing else!!  If you're joining me from Amy's Blog, I'm the last stop for today.  If you just started here, feel free to head to Sue's Blog and start from the beginning to hop thru all the sites!

Our theme for today's Blog Hop is:  Punches!  I gotta say, Punches are probably one of my two absolute FAVORITE tools to use, and I'm always on the hunt for new/unique uses for them.  I absolutely LOVE the creativity I come across of folks who use these basic tools to create some impressive works of art!!

My goal for today's card was simple, to come up with an easy Christmas Card that uses a couple of punches to create a cool image!!  What do you think?!

So, I used an 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" piece of Shimmery White Cardstock (101910) for the card base, folded in half.  On top of that is layered a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Shimmery White Cardstock that I first stamped with the 'Merry Christmas' image (from stamp set "Merry Everything"; 135608-W; 135071-C) and stamped in Cherry Cobbler Classic Ink (126966).  I ran the stamped cardstock thru the Big Shot using the 'Softly Falling' Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (139672) and attached it to the front of the folded Shimmery White Cardstock using SNAIL adhesive.

Next up is to create the Santa Hat out of punches.  Have you figured out which punches I used??  Take a close look. . . . . . . . .

I used the following four punches to create the hat:
1/2" Circle Punch (119869)
Extra-Large Oval Punch (119859)
Scallop Oval Punch (119856)
Word Window Punch (119857)

To start, Punch the Extra-Large Oval Punch out of a piece (have I mentioned this is a GREAT card to use up some of your scraps?!) of Cherry Cobbler cardstock (119685).  Then use the Word Window Punch to punch out a small piece of the oval in order to create the base and top of the hat.

Punch out the 1/2" Circle Punch out of Silver Glimmer Paper (135314) and attach to the tip of the hat with SNAIL adhesive.    I punched out the cuff of the hat out of the same Shimmery White cardstock as the base, using the Scallop Oval Punch.  This time I went in and used the Extra-Large Oval Punch in order to remove part of the scallop oval and create the hat cuff.  This white piece is then attached to the Cherry Cobbler hat base, and the entire hat is attached to the front of the card using Stampin' Dimensionals (104430).

The card needed just a tad more 'bling' though, so I added a couple of Rhinestone Basic Jewels (119246) in random places across the front of the card.

On the inside, I added a greeting (again using Cherry Cobbler Classic Ink) from "Versatile Christmas" (140389-W; 140392-C).  And there you have it.  A quick and easy Christmas card using a couple punches in a unique way!

I hope you've enjoyed the Blog Hop stops along the way today!  For quick reference, here are the links to everyone's sites:

• Sue
• Denise
• Sandy
• Autumn
• Amy
• Pam (You're here!!)

Happy Hopping!!

Pam

November 2015 DIVA Blog Hop--Giving Thanks

Whew!!!  Less than 2 weeks until Thanksgiving and in this season of 'giving thanks', what better theme for today than that?!  If you're joining me from Amy's Blog, I'm the last stop for today.  If you just started here, feel free to head to Sue's Blog and start from the beginning to hop thru all the sites!

My card today could have fit in last month's hop post, and vice versa!!  Framelits, punches, embossing folder, ink, cardstock & embellishments--so FUN to play with on this card!!

The base of the card is Mossy Meadow (cut 4 1/4" x 11"), and I used Very Vanilla cardstock for the inside and also ran a 4" x 5 1/4" piece thru the Big Shot with the Woodland Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.

The little leaves are from the "Among the Branches" stamp set, and are inked up using Mossy Meadow, Hello Honey & Early Espresso ink. 

The maple leaf is also cut out of Mossy Meadow cardstock and attached using SNAIL adhesive to the lower right corner of the card.  I didn't do it for this card, but a cool paper saver idea??  Cut the leaf out of the card base, as you'll have the Very Vanilla covering up that space, and it adds a bit more interest to another area of your card!!  For a little extra 'bling', I added some gold metallic thread that I wrapped around my fingers, then secured using Glue Dots to the maple leaf. 

The acorns and greetings were inked up using the same colors as I listed above, and are from "Acorny Thank You".  The greeting was cut out using the Bitty Banner Framelits, and the Acorn Builder punch cut out the acorns  I attached the Early Espresso 'top' of each acorn to it's base, then secured to the front of the card using SNAIL adhesive.  (One little note--need to remind myself to get an Early Espresso ink refill on my next order--mine is not as 'dark' as I'd like it to be any more!)

Quite the simple card, but SUPER cute and I just had another thought!  How CUTE would the maple leave & acorns (with greeting) be mounted to a folded & embossed piece of Very Vanilla CS for place cards at your Thanksgiving table? You could write each person's name on the top part of the maple leaf!  Oh, boy!!  My wheels are really turning with ideas now!!

I hope you've enjoyed the Blog Hop stops along the way today!  For quick reference, here are the links to everyone's sites:

• Sue
• Sandy
• Amy
• Pam (You're here!!)

Happy Hopping!!

Pam

October 2015 DIVA Blog Hop--Framelits & Thinlits

Hey, Folks!!

Happy October!!  The air is getting a slight crispness to it and it's time again for the Diva Blog Hop!!  This month's theme focuses on what I consider to be one of my absolute FAVORITE tools/accessories--the Framelits (to be used with the Big Shot)!!  If you're joining me from Amy's Blog, I'm the last stop for today.  If you just started here, feel free to head to Sue's Blog and start from the beginning to hop thru all the sites!

I will be the first to admit that I am a total CASEr--(Copy And Share Everything), and with the start of my academic year on campus being a tad crazy, I just haven't had the time to sit down and create like I would like!  Soooooo, I did some browsing and found a couple cool samples (that I DID add my own twists to) that I had SO much fun sitting down to make for today's post!

First up, the card on the left.  For this one I used two different Framelits on the card, the maple leaf image from Leaflet Framelits (138283) AND the curvy banner  from Bitty Banner Framelits (129267).  Both items are in the annual catalog.

To start on this card, I first ran my Crumb Cake cardstock thru the Big Shot with the Woodland Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (139673) that is in the Holiday Catalog--LOVE this embossing folder!  Then I placed the embossed cardstock on my cutting pad on my Magnetic Platform (130658), laid the maple leaf framelit in the middle of the card (you can use a post-it note if you don't have the Magnetic Platform to help hold the framelit in place), finished creating the 'Big Shot Sandwich' and ran everything thru the machine.  Then I centered/placed the Crumb Cake cardstock on top of my folded Delightful Dijon cardstock (don't adhere it yet!!).  I took a pencil and lightly traced around the edge of the leaf.  After taking away the Crumb Cake cardstock, I used that guide to ink up my maple leaf from Vintage Leaves stamp set (138802) in Delighful Dijon ink and stamp on the same-colored cardstock.  The ink does dry right away, but I gave it 2-3 minutes before I then went in and erased the pencil marks, just to be on the safe side!

Before adhering the Crumb Cake cardstock to the front of the card, I also took my 1/8" hole punch and punched a hole on either side of the leaf stem and ran the Gold Cording Trim (139618) thru the holes and tied a bow on the front of the card.  I find this method can sometimes be easier than trying to tie a free-form bow that attaches with a Glue Dot!.  I also SHOULD have remember to staple (using the Handheld Stapler [139083]) the Into the Woods 3/8" Cotton Ribbon (139612) on the upper right corner to just the front (in order to hide the back of the staple), but I wound up remembering AFTER I had gotten the front taped down!

I also had fun using the Acorn Builder Punch (139681) & Acorny Thank You stamp set (139718).  I stamped 'THANKFUL' in Pumpkin Pie ink on Very Vanilla cardstock and placed the curvy banner framelit over the top (using the same method I used earlier for the leaf) and cut out the image.  The acorn top/bottom was stamped with Early Espresso and Rich Razzleberry inks and punched out and attached together.  I attached the acorn to the front of the card using Dimensionals, and placed the 'THANKFUL' banner over that, again with dimensionals.  SUCH a fun card to complete!!!

Now, for the second card, at one of the Diva Days this past spring, Diva Deb had a SUPER cute Easter card she made using the Mini Treat Bag Thinlits (137547)--and if you would like to check it out, feel free to click HERE--and then be sure to come back for the rest of this post!!  Ever since then, however, I have SO wanted to use the framelit set  to make a similar style of card, and with Card #2 for today, I finally did!!!  Now, I'm again using the Bitty Banner Framelits (129267)--really, with only three shapes, it's a great go-to framelit set!  In addition, I'm using a ticket shape from the Tags & Labels Framelits (138282) as well as a paperclip shape from the Project Life Paper Clip Thinlits (138284)--LOVE these!!

I'm again using Acorny Thank You stamp set (139718) and Woodland Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (139673), as well as the Bohemian Borders (138938) for this card.  To make the sleeve you just need one of the small pieces and one of the larger pieces for the Mini Treat bag (to make the bag, you'd need two of each).  I ran the Crumb Cake cardstock thru the Big Shot with the Woodland embossing folder, then taped up the sides/bottom to secure it!  I wrapped some white Baker's Twine around the sleeve and tied a bow on the front of the card.  The acorns were stamped in Old Olive ink and Soft Suede ink on Whisper White cardstock and punched out, and the ticket and paperclip were cut out on the Big Shot out of Rich Razzleberry cardstock. 

I stamped the 'Grateful For You' image in Rich Razzleberry & Soft Suede ink and used the large banner framelit from the  Bitty Banners set to cut it out--I did wind up trimming down a little bit of the banner on the left side.  I attached the acorns and banners to the front of the card using Glue Dots

Once the outside was complete, it was time to turn my focus to the insert, which was a piece of 3 1/2" x 5" Old Olive cardstock.  I first stamped one of the borders from the Bohemian Borders set on the top & bottom of the Whisper White cardstock in Rich Razzleberry ink, folded and stapled the ticket shape (to create a tab) on the upper right side, and attached the final acorn on the lower left corner or the card.  Insert into the sleeve & DONE!!

I had so much fun making both of the cards for today!!  Here's a final look at both pieces of Card #2:

I hope you've enjoyed the Blog Hop stops along the way today!  For quick reference, here are the links to everyone's sites:

• Sue
• Denise
• Sandy
• Amy
• Pam (You're here!!)

Happy Hopping!!

Pam

September 2015 DIVA Blog Hop--Kid/Baby Theme

Welcome to this month's Blog Hop!!!  Today our theme is Baby/Kid.  I took a bit of 'creative license' with this theme, as you'll see below, but hopefully you'll enjoy the post!!  If you're joining me from Amy's Blog, I'm the last stop for today.  If you just started here, feel free to head to Sue's Blog and start from the beginning to hop thru all the sites!

You know the saying, "Necessity is the Mother of all Inventions"?!  Well, it came into play as I was planning/designing the cards for the blog this month.  This past Sunday we had a Diva Day, and one of the subjects we talked about was how perfect our 6"x6" paper stacks are for One Sheet Wonder cards. The one group of ideas shown has you being able to use the cut up designer series paper (DSP) to make five cards out of one 6"x6" piece!!

As I was driving home on Sunday, I was thinking about ideas to show for the blog today, and the Go Wild paper stack set came to mind with all of it's fun animal prints.  But then, I got to wondering if I could make my idea fit into this month's Blog Hop theme.  Which is when I got the idea to add Melon Mambo cardstock & ink to the Basic Black, Tip Top Taupe, Basic Gray colors.  Because really, what young girl (or teenager) doesn't love animal (zebra) prints and hot pink?!  Perfect!!  I got my idea, and it fits (sorta!) with the theme.

It was really easy to cut up the different pieces of DSP by following the directions that were shared with us to create the different layers of the card, but I did have one small hiccup along the way--I realized that I had only one HALF sheet of Basic Black cardstock, so I had to be creative in the ways/places I decided to use it.

Here are the finished five cards!

I'm sure you're looking at the above card and wondering about the pink Baker's Twine?!  I used  my Melon Mambo ink pad to dye Whisper White  Baker's twin, and allowed it to dry, and then attach to the zebra-striped strip.  I used the Bravo stamp set for the sentiment, using Melon Mambo Classic Ink.

On this card I flipped over the DSP to use the tan/white side for this card, so also decided to use Tip Top Taupe, Early Espresso & Melon Mambo for my main colors.  I used the Word Window punch and the Washi Label punch, along with Whisper White Cotton Ribbon & Iced Rhinestone Embellishments (which are in the new Holiday Catalog).  To finish it off, I used a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes.

Decided to stay with the same colors as the card above, went back to the Bravo stamp set, BUT I also colored the whisper white cotton ribbon by running it through the Tip Top Taupe ink pad (wear rubber gloves if you do this!) and allow the ribbon to dry before attaching it to the card.  I also used one of the In Color Blossom Accents, and Bravo! stamp set.

Back to the zebra print, Basic Black, Basic Gray & Melon Mambo.  Created the ribbon tabs on the left side for additional interest.  Bravo stamp set is again being used!

Finally, a simple card on a white background, with some added Rhinestone Bling!  Forget the teenage girl!!  I'd like any of these cards myself!!

I hope you've enjoyed the Blog Hop stops along the way today!  For quick reference, here are the links to everyone's sites:

• Sue
• Denise
• Sandy
• Autumn
• Amy
• Pam (You're here!!)

Happy Hopping!!

Pam

August 2015 DIVA Blog Hop--New Catalog Item

Welcome to this month's Blog Hop!!!  Are you as excited about the new Annual Catalog as I am?  For the Hop this month, we're each highlighting new catalog items for you!  If you're joining me from Amy's Blog, I'm the last stop for today.  If you just started here, feel free to head to Sue's Blog and start from the beginning to hop thru all the sites!

I absolutely LOVE the new Framelits in the catalog, and when I came across the Baker's Box dies, I KNEW I needed to order it immediately, and I have to tell you, I am having a lot of fun with them! 

Baker's Box Thinlits Die Set
138279
Price: $33.00 (US)
9 dies
Finished box size: 4-1/8" x 2-1/8" x 2-5/8"

 

 

My friend Emily is getting married next year, and she and I have been working on wedding favor ideas for her this summer.  These boxes wound up being the PERFECT size for her treats to go in, and the added dog tags (I used my Cameo Silhouette to create them) fit in just right with her theme, too (her fiance' is a Military Man)!

The box comes with three different closure styles, and I 'think' Emily is going to go with the double hole option (center box in photo above), but a bride is entitled to change her mind, so I'm not holding her to that decision yet!  ;)

To make the box, you'll have to cut the box template out twice.  The Magnetic Platform is ideal for this step. 

In the tutorials/advice I've seen on assembling the boxes, it's suggested to NOT cut out the top closure at the same time as the box.  My conundrum was that I wasn't sure how to get the handle openings to line up correctly (so that both sides matched), and it took me a while to come up with a solution.  But it's super low-tech!  Post-It Notes!  I used a Post-It to temporarily secure the wrong sides of each box together, lining up the top handle, then used another Post-It to hold the closure die to the cardstock and then ran it thru the Big Shot as usually.  Having the double layer of cardstock does leave a bit of an indentation on the cardstock, so my advice is to emboss the pieces AFTER cutting out the closure openings.

As far as assembling goes, I also recommend folding all of the crease lines BEFORE  putting it together.  Also, you'll want to use a more permanent adhesive, such as Sticky Strip or Liquid Glue (which will need a bit more dry time) on the side flaps. I also used a couple glue dots to help hold the base of the box together a bit better.

Stampin' Up!  also has a You Tube video about some of the basics to go with this box, too, so feel free to check out the link!

I hope you've enjoyed checking out this New Catalog Item, as well as the other stops along the way today!!

For quick reference, here are the links to everyone's sites:

• Sue
• Denise
• Sandy
• Amy
• Pam (You're here!!)

Happy Hopping!!

Pam

July 2015 DIVA Blog Hop--Christmas in July

Hey, folks!!  As we're hitting the midst of a hot summer, what better time to think of the cool weather that comes with the winter holidays?!  So, in an effort to cool off a bit, we're doing 'Christmas in July' as our theme today! If you're joining me from Amy's Blog, I'm the last stop for today.  If you just started here, feel free to head to Sue's Blog and start from the beginning to hop thru all the sites!

One of the things I love to try is to use stamp sets in ways other than they were initially intended, and when I saw the snowman card made with using the Work of Art stamp set, I knew it was what I wanted to share with you today!

Do you see a snowman from those images?!  I sure didn't at first, but check out how cute he is:

I decided to use the same colors of Real Red, Wild Wasabi, Pumpkin Pie and Tuxedo Black Memento Ink on both cards (with Real Red, Wild Wasabi & Whisper White cardstock), but swapped the scarf & hat image colors to create slightly different looks on the two cards.  I added three pearls and a small ribbon (attached with a glue dot) knot on the hat to complete the look.

Don't be afraid to think outside of the box and use stamps in ways other than what they were initially intended--have fun and unleash the creativity!!

I hope you've enjoyed the Blog Hop stops along the way today!  For quick reference, here are the links to everyone's sites:

• Sue
• Denise
• Amy
• Pam (You're here!!)

Happy Hopping!!

Pam

Documenting My Life-Question #1

Hey, Everyone!!

Those that are wondering about the mid-month Diva Blog hop--have no fear--it'll be back again next month--there were some technical upgrades happening on the sites a few of the Divas use at the time we usually post, so rather than risk broken links we opted to skip this month!!

I have been busy researching family history lately, and scored BIG time this past week--I was able to find my grandmother and her siblings Marriage Certificates/records from Massachusetts!!  I had known the years my great-aunts & great-uncles were married, but hadn't had the actual date(s) until now, and it's so fun to uncover more information bit-by-bit!!

My grandparent's Marriage Certificate

Doing the family history research got me thinking about what sort of information I should be thinking about sharing with future generations.  If you're anything like me, it's easy to document/share things about OTHER people, but when it's about yourself, it's like pulling teeth to be able to tell your own story!!

Over on the My Memories Blog, Diane with ADB Designs started a blog series a couple weeks ago--the challenge, to Document YOUR Life, and each post has a SUPER simple question/prompt to help jumpstart the journaling creativity!!  At the time it first posted, I read thru it and thought it was cool, and filed it away in the back of my mind as a 'future project'.  Two weeks later she posted the second question/prompt, and I decided that I just needed to 'start' the project, rather than to keep thinking about doing it.

It's going to be a work-in-progress, and that's O.K. with me.  I also like that if you're not a scrapbooker (doesn't matter if your're a traditional or digital memory-keeper), these questions/prompts are still great catalyst to use to record your answers in a simple journal.  AND, it's information that future generations will love to have--especially in your own handwriting!!

So, Question/Prompt #1 is:  What is your full name? Why were you given that name? Do you like your name?

I think I had initially filed this project away as a 'future project' because I didn't have a really good answer for the second question of the three.  BUT, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that even that answer was acceptable, and did not mean I couldn't document 'my' story.

I haven't quite migrated over to using the My Memories 6 scrapbooking software full-time, but I have been playing around with some of the available downloads, and I created my page for Question/Prompt #1 using downloads that are (currently) ALL FREE!!

Here's the list of kits that I used product from:
Summer Fairy Mini Kit  (background--opacity reduced to 75%)
English Tea Garden Alpha (alphabet--upper & lower--re-colored)
June 2015 Blog Train Gift (beads--opacity reduced to 51%)
Summer Fun Sampler (frame)
June Sampler (green flower)
June Mini 2015 (pink rose)
Candy Things (flourish--recolored)

I had a flash of inspiration earlier today for what to make my page for the second question look like, so am already looking forward to working on that one.  I'll post that one in the future and will continue to share my 'life' with you!!  I hope you'll join me in documenting YOUR life!!

Happy Crafting!!

Pam

May 2015 Diva Blog Hop--FLOWERS!

Hello, All!!

While I could do without all of the rain we've had this week, I am LOVING the fact that my flowers are looking awesome (and I'm eagerly awaiting a few to burst into bloom), so what better theme for today than 'flowers'?!  If you're joining me from Amy's Blog, I'm the last stop for today.  If you just started here, feel free to head to Sue's Blog and start from the beginning to hop thru all the sites!


I am so sad that My Digital Studio will no longer be supported by Stampin' Up! at the end of this month, so decided to stay strictly 'digital' with my offerings today--I'll still post digital projects on my blog, just not on the Blog Hop days! 


Back when I started to get into digital creating, I was loving all of the home decor wall art that I came across, and here are two that I copied/designed and fell in love with:

I think I had a whole series of these I wanted to design, so I just need to sit down and find the time to do that!!


The paper daisies are another favorite embellishment of mine for cards--and before the days of having the tool to 're-color' images, a few of these used drop shadows to create the colored petals!

They work GREAT to camouflage images, too!!  When my niece got married in 2012, I only managed to get one good photo of the wedding party--unfortunately, my nephew was also taking a photo from the same angle and I managed to get him in the photo, too!  So, a layered paper daisy was PERFECT to hide him and still be able to use the photo in my album!!

Another of my favorite digital flower embellishments is the Blooms.  And they work great to camouflage, too!!  With the same niece's wedding (as the above photo), I really wasn't liking how I looked in the photo, so was able to strategically place them to hide a few things!!

For this page, I selected the blooms based off of Miss Em's outfit:

And here are a couple fun cards that are in keeping with the flower theme for today, too!!
Did you know that you could create the 'rock-n-roll' technique digitally?!

 For this one, I used the freeform layering tool to color in behind each of the flowers, AND recolored the washi-tape.

This positive/negative idea is very popular to create 'in real life', so it was fun to do digitally, too. 

Have you ever done the 'kissing' technique?  Here's a digital version of it on the raised flower!

So, that's a few digital floral idea for you for today!!  I hope you've enjoyed the Blog Hop stops along the way today!  For quick reference, here are the links to everyone's sites:

• Sue
• Denise
• Sandy
• Amy
• Pam (You're here!!)

Happy Hopping!!

Pam

April 2015 Diva Blog Hop--April Showers!!

Well, after a yucky winter, it seems that Spring is finally arriving, which fits right in with today's theme: April Showers &/or Mother's Day!!   If you're joining me from Amy's Blog, I'm the last stop for today.  If you just started here, feel free to head to Sue's Blog and start from the beginning to hop thru all the sites!

So I decided to play with the 'April Showers/Water' end of the theme today.  There is a card technique using hair gel, that gives the look of water on your card, and I decided I just HAD to try it!!  I went online and Googled 'hair gel card tutorial' and just went from there.  One of the cool 'tips' I saw was to get the hair gel from the Dollar Store, as oftentimes, there are more 'water-like' bubbles in the gel.

So, for this card, I used the 'By the Tide' stamp set, along with Night of Navy, Mossy Meadow & Cherry Cobbler ink, ribbon and cardstock.

I picked up some resealable 3"x4" bags at the local craft store and trimmed down a little bit of the 'lip/flap' of the bag and filled it with about a half-tablespoon of the hair gel.  I would have LOVED to add lots, but all of the tutorials I read cautioned against overfilling, so I decided to listen to their recommendations.  As another layer of protection, I also used scotch tape to seal the end of the bag that is able to be opened.

I used my Oval Framelits dies on a piece of 8"x 5 1/4" cardstock to cut out the 'window' and then folded it in half and stamped the coral, fish and seahorses around the opening (both 'inside' and 'outside').  I also stamped the lobster on a separate piece of Whisper White cardstock that I then cut out using my Paper Snips (I got a cool new tool that I'm hoping to use for this task in the future, but just did it the 'old-fashioned' way today!!).  I popped the lobster up on some dimensionals, attached the hair gel-filled bag to the card using Sticky Strip, and sealed the front of the card closed also using Sticky Strip.  I attached the 'pouch' to the front of the folded Night of Navy cardstock using SNAIL adhesive, wrapped a ribbon around the front and added the punched-out anchor image to complete the card.

I couldn't stop at just one card using this technique, so decided to do a second one featuring the Wetlands stamp set.  Now, I WILL admit to 'cheating' a little on this card--I actually created/printed the images using My Digital Studio (still sad that the program will no longer be supported after May 31, 2015), then followed the same steps as I described above to complete the card.  I added the Lovely Labels tag (and punch) and Apothecary Art Framelit, some narrow Bermuda Bay ribbon and linen thread, and DONE!!

So to continue with today's 'water' theme, here are a couple of scrapbook pages I've completed that also fit in. . . .

This was among some of the first pages that I ever made.  Creating the 'starburst-like' background was such a fun thing to learn, and turned out to be the perfect backdrop for the photos of the ocean that I took on my trip!

I may have shown this fish page before, but it's also one of my favorites, and another technique that I don't use nearly enough--four photoboxes grouped, then photo inserted to span all four boxes.

I can't leave today without sharing a fun Wall Art image that I made a while ago as well.  I still need to play around with this one a bit, I LOVE the saying, and overall, it's not bad, but it doesn't give me the 'Done!' feeling I'm looking for on it quite yet.  I'm not afraid to share 'works in progress', and you shouldn't be, either!  If you have any ideas/suggestions on ways to improve the piece, I'm open to hear them!!

Well, that's it for today!!  I hope you've enjoyed the Blog Hop stops along the way today!  For quick reference, here are the links to everyone's sites:

• Sue
• Denise
• Sandy
• Amy
• Pam (You're here!!)

Happy Hopping!!

Pam

March 2015 Diva Blog Hop--Spring!!

Hello, Everyone!!

Wow!!  I know I haven't been blogging, but I've had a BUSY month.  My basement is getting ever closer to turning back in to my craft area, and it's been exciting to see the baby steps turn into something more!!  But enough about me!  If you're joining me from Amy's Blog, I'm the last stop for today.  If you just started here, feel free to head to Sue's Blog and start from the beginning to hop thru all the sites!

Today's theme is Spring/Easter/Animals.  You're going to get 'mostly' digital offerings from me today, because when I'm in a pinch and can't 'get' to my supplies to create, I turn to My Digital Studio to create.

At Diva Day last Sunday, I thought that two of the cards we got to make in our Shoebox Swap (made by Cyndi & Julianne) would make GREAT Spring/Easter cards.  It helps that Stampin' Up! offered the 'Butterfly Basics' as a digital set, too!!  So first up, Julianne's card:

Julianne's Shoebox Swap card

I love the monochromatic look (hey, it could fit our blog hop theme from LAST month!!) with the Wisteria Wonder and Whisper White, so here's my digital take on the card:

It's not exact, and I decided to change it up a little and used a greeting from Easter Blooms, to fit in a bit more with today's 'Spring' theme.  Also,  when I added a 'drop shadow' behind the butterfly, it still seemed to get a little lost with everything being the same color, so I went into the color palette and made the butterfly just a little 'darker'.  Fun, and so easy!!

Cyndi' Shoebox Swap card

This card is really striking with the Coastal Cabana and Mossy Meadow colors--and a little silver 'bling' for the small butterfly.  Here's my digital take on the card:

LOVE how this one come together.  To get the 'stamp off' look, I simply reduced the opacity on the images!  And I again added a greeting from Easter Blooms.

Speaking of Easter, here's a fun card I made up using the Easter Blooms and the Be Yourself Digital Designer Paper:

The watercolor looking paper on this one just says 'Spring!' to me.

BUT, we can't leave out the Easter Bunny.  . . . how about this fun card:

Cool thing here?  You could make your own version of this one using punches!!

Or how about this bunny??

Love how she's (a pink bow in her hair, I'm making an assumption) just peeking out from the corner of the card!! 

So don't let digital scare you.  When you need a creative 'fix' and can't make it to your craft room for whatever reason, it's a great way to unleash your creativity!!

I hope you've enjoyed the Blog Hop stops along the way today!  For quick reference, here are the links to everyone's sites:

• Sue
• Denise
• Sandy
• Autumn
• Amy
• Pam (You're here!!)

Happy Hopping!!

Pam